The electric-blue expanse of Pangong Tso ringed by snow-dusted mountains under a deep azure Ladakh sky.

Ladakh · 8 Days

Ladakh — Leh, Nubra & Pangong

The full Ladakh loop in eight days — Leh, the Nubra valley over Khardung La, and Pangong Lake by the Shyok river road.

Day by Day

8 Days, In Full

The Ladakh trip most people have in mind. Three nights in Leh to start, for the monasteries and to get used to the height. Then over Khardung La, one of the world's highest passes, into the green Nubra valley for two nights, with its camels and its giant Buddha. The rough Shyok river road runs east from there to Pangong Lake, avoiding a second crossing of Khardung La. Two nights on the lake, then back to Leh over the Chang La pass. Eight days, three high passes, the whole of accessible Ladakh.

The flat rooftops of Leh town stacked up the hillside, the bare Ladakh range rising behind them under a thin high-altitude sky.

Leh

Arrive in Leh — Rest and Acclimatise

You fly into Leh in the early morning, over the main Himalayan range. The airport sits at 3,500 metres, so the first day is a rest day, and this is not optional. Your guide checks you in and asks you to do very little. Drink water, eat lightly, sleep if you can. A short, slow walk to Leh market in the afternoon is as much as you should do. Giving the body a full day here now prevents altitude sickness later.

The white dome of Shanti Stupa on its hilltop above Leh, the old town and bare ridges falling away below

Leh

Leh — Old Town, Palace and Shanti Stupa

A gentle first full day, still close to the hotel. The morning is Leh's old town: the bazaar, the mosque, and the nine-storey palace above it. The climb through the palace floors is slow but short. In the afternoon, drive up to Shanti Stupa for the view over the valley. Sankar Monastery, a working gompa a short way from the centre, fills any spare time. An early night before tomorrow's monastery run.

The Thiksey monastery complex tiered up its hill above the Indus valley, Ladakh

Leh

The Indus Valley Monasteries — Thiksey and Hemis

A full day among the great monasteries south-east of Leh. Start early at Thiksey, a twelve-storey monastery on a hill, for the dawn prayers if you are up to it. Then Hemis, the largest and richest in Ladakh, hidden in a side gorge. Shey, the old royal palace with its giant seated Buddha, and Stok are on the way back. It is a lot of driving, but the roads are good and the valley is beautiful. Back in Leh by evening.

Travellers pause on a snow-covered slope at Khardung La, one of the world's highest motorable passes, on the road from Leh to the Nubra valley.

Leh → Nubra Valley

Over Khardung La to the Nubra Valley

The drive to Nubra crosses Khardung La, at about 5,360 metres one of the highest motorable passes in the world. You stop briefly at the top for photos and tea, but not long, because of the altitude. The road then drops a long way into the Nubra valley, green and wide after the bare passes. You reach your Nubra hotel by mid-afternoon. The rest of the day is at rest by the river. The full drive takes five to six hours with stops.

Nubra Valley

Nubra — Diskit Monastery and the Hunder Dunes

A full day in the Nubra valley. The morning is Diskit Monastery and its 32-metre Maitreya statue, which looks down the valley towards Pakistan. In the afternoon, the white sand dunes at Hunder, with their two-humped Bactrian camels. A short camel ride runs in the last hour of light, when the dunes turn gold. Turtuk, a Balti village near the border that only opened to visitors in 2010, is an option for those with the time. A second night in Nubra.

A wide grey river braids across the floor of the Nubra valley beneath steep, bare mountain walls on the rough road toward Pangong.

Nubra Valley → Pangong Lake

Nubra to Pangong — The Shyok River Road

A long, rough and spectacular drive that avoids going back over Khardung La. The road follows the Shyok river east, through a wide, empty valley of braided river channels and bare rock. Parts of it are unpaved and slow. There are no towns and few people for hours. You reach Pangong from the north in the late afternoon, with the lake opening up ahead. Plan on seven to eight hours on the road. It is worth it.

The vivid blue water of Pangong Tso stretching between bare brown ridges under a clear Ladakh sky.

Pangong Lake

A Day on the Shore of Pangong

A slow day by the lake, which is the point of coming this far. The water changes colour through the day, so it rewards sitting still and watching. A short drive along the shore towards the villages of Man and Merak gets you away from the day-trip crowds at Spangmik. The altitude here is 4,350 metres, so walking is slow and naps are normal. After dark, the sky fills with stars. A second night on the shore.

A high, snow-streaked ridge line of the Ladakh range on the return climb from Pangong toward Leh over Chang La.

Pangong Lake → Leh

Pangong back to Leh — Chang La and the Long Valley

An early start to be over Chang La before the afternoon wind. The pass is at about 5,360 metres and often holds snow even in summer. Below it the road runs down past Hemis and Thiksey, so there is a chance to stop at either if you missed them. You are back in Leh by mid-afternoon, at a lower and easier altitude. The last evening is free for the market and for packing. The drive is five to six hours in all.

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luxury · 7 Nights